As Ellis Hall’s renovations draw nearer, Lindley Hall will once again serve as a temporary workspace for departments or colleges on campus.
The about $14.1 million renovations to that building are expected to begin in October, according to a June Board of Trustees agenda. When that occurs, Lindley would provide more than 40,000 square feet of vacant space for those who would move from Ellis, Shawna Bolin, director of University Planning and Space Management, said.
The departments of Classics and World Religions, English and Philosophy are located in Ellis Hall.
"When undertaking a major construction or renovation project, it is ideal to have a swing space area like Lindley Hall,” Greg Robertson, associate vice president for architecture, design and construction, said in an email. “Such a location helps us to complete large campus projects in a safe, timely and cost effective manner.”
Since Lindley Hall’s renovations were completed in 2015, two colleges have used the space while their buildings were renovated. The Patton College of Education used Lindley while McCracken Hall was renovated for $10.9 million from spring 2015 to mid-fall 2016, and the College of Business has used Lindley during College of Business Annex renovations since February 2015.
The renovations to other buildings that require certain colleges and departments to relocate to Lindley is part of the Capital Improvement Plan, which is a six-year plan for construction and renovations of buildings and halls on campus. Scheduled to end in 2022, the plan includes Housing and Residence Life projects, regional campus renovations, Ohio Information Technology updates and deferred maintenance.
Built in 1917, Lindley Hall was originally a residence hall for women. The building later housed the department of Human Resources until that office moved in 1981, OU Spokesman Dan Pittman said in an email. After that time, the university utilized Lindley Hall for a variety of needs and housed several departments until 2012.
“In 2012, Lindley experienced heating system failures and all occupants needed to be vacated to remediate the issue. At the time, the university did not have suitable swing space for the relocations,” Bolin said in an email. “The solutions that were found for relocations ended up being suitable permanent locations for the former occupants resulting in the university repurposing Lindley.”
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost was in charge of making sure there is space for departments and colleges to relocate if necessary.
Lindley Hall also permanently houses the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, the Center for Campus and Community Engagement, the Office of Institutional Research and the Survivor Advocacy Program.
